We've come a long way since the Atari 2600 you grew up... Photo-3763479.53518 - Houston Chronicle

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The MakerBot Replicator 2

Screw Legos: This future-is-now 3-D printer fabricates objects out of polymers — based on plans that your kid can download or design with free software like Google's SketchUp. The U.S. Army uses mobile 3-D printers to fabricate replacement parts in Afghanistan. NASA is printing rocket parts. And in Japan, 3-D printers scan your body and print out your own action figure. Next year, he can make everyone's presents.

Do you sometimes wish you could talk to your teenager after his hormones have settled down? Well, Microsoft's marquee franchise, Halo — the ultimate achievement in pixilated sci-fi combat, multiplayer and otherwise — could conceivably distract your son until he's all grown up. Just make sure he leaves the house before he's as grown up as you are.

Do you sometimes wish you could talk to your teenager after his hormones have settled down? Well, Microsoft's marquee franchise, Halo — the ultimate achievement in pixilated sci-fi combat, multiplayer ... more

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Halo 4
Do you sometimes wish you could talk to your teenager... Photo-3855271.53518 - Houston Chronicle

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The Dark Knight Trilogy Boxed Set

No, the rock-climbing in that last movie didn't make sense — but, even if you're not a bat-fan, you've got to admit Christopher Nolan's $3.5 billion-grossing franchise is the state-of-the-art superhero franchise for good reason. (Try and name another recent bank robbery as great as the opening sequence in The Dark Knight.) For the kid who's a total bat-nerd, buy the limited edition bat-set, which comes with a box shaped like the hero's broken bat-mask.

Equal parts amazing and ridiculous, these high-definition video-recording sunglasses are perfect for the teen whose extreme-sports stunts are also simultaneously amazing and ridiculous. Perfect for skateboarding, snowboarding, and the other stupid human tricks that must be shared on YouTube. Buy him pads, too, while you're at it.

The same Wii your kid enjoyed in middle school is all grown-up now: This new edition, the only new game platform this holiday season, adds a color-screen GamePad controller that doubles as a handheld system on its own — and promises to be a spectacular TV remote, which should be compatible with your cable provider. In the name of inter-generational video-game harmony, there's a new Super Mario, too.

If you want anyone talking to your teenage son about sex, it should be the hysterically empathetic Dominican-American novelist Junot Diaz. His sci-fi-addled, sex-obsessed novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao was a Latino nerd's wet dream, introducing the lovable, lovelorn nerd Junior. This sharp collection picks up where that book left off, with the romantic Yunior getting his heart broken nine different ways — each one almost painfully honest.

If you want anyone talking to your teenage son about sex, it should be the hysterically empathetic Dominican-American novelist Junot Diaz. His sci-fi-addled, sex-obsessed ... more

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This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
If you want anyone... Photo-3855267.53518 - Houston Chronicle

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New Trent iCarrier

"Sorry, Dad, my phone ran out of juice" is an excuse that won't fly after you give your son this apocalypse-ready external battery. It can fully charge an iPhone 5 six times, and iPad one-and-a-half times, and any two devices at the same time, via dual USB ports. For long trips, late nights, and zombie attacks, it's the best backup, short of a gas-powered generator.

If your kid's a bit arty, The Thing is the thing: a total surprise that arrives in a cardboard box, four times a year. Each quarter, one of the coolest artists or writers on the planet designs a gift, and you never know what it will be: A switchblade? A shower curtain? A cutting board? In 2012, contributors included James Franco and novelist Dave Eggers. Subscribe now, and you get mystery work by the excellent artist David Shrigley, film director Mike Mills, artist Tauba Auerbach, and novelist Ben Marcus.

If your kid's a bit arty, The Thing is the thing: a total surprise that arrives in a cardboard box, four times a year. Each quarter, one of the coolest artists or writers on the planet designs a ... more

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The Thing
If your kid's a bit arty, The Thing is the... Photo-3855268.53518 - Houston Chronicle

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Audio-Technica ATH-M50 headphones

Teens don't need $300 headphones, especially if they're mostly paying for a celebrity endorsement. (Looking at you, Dre.) These durable, affordable cans don't have a flashy marketing campaign behind them, but they do offer up rich, pro-grade sound quality and strong word-of-mouth among the audio engineers they were originally designed to please.

This simple, cheap little dongle is a sweet little stocking stuffer. Plug it into an audio system, and it streams audio wirelessly from your smartphone, laptop, or tablet directly to your stereo. Because the last thing you need after Christmas is yet another tangle of cables.